The Pursuit
by YuriFan5
Summary: A tale of unrequited love, high school drama, bears, and vengeance. Join me on this wild roller coaster ride as we follow Jeff into the land of the vampires, as well as having some fun along the way. Permanently on Hiatus until I get my inspiration back.
1. Teaser

Prologue

A/N: In true Stephanie Meyer fashion, I am going to give a teaser at the beginning. The legend below will apply to the entire story. I may add new things to it, in which case I will repost it.

Legend:

"SAID WITH EXTREME FEELING"

"Normal Speech"

_Thought_

(Skip between memory and present default is memory)

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" I yelled as I charged. I tackle her and knock her away. "Bella, Bella are you alright?" She doesn't stir. "Damnit! I'll kill you!" My vision swims red. I rush forward.

"Pathetic newborn, you can't possibly hurt me." Jane smiled, and glared at me. I braced myself for the pain.

A/N: So, there you go, hopefully that's enough to get you intrigued


	2. Reminiscence

Ch 1: Reminiscence

"How did I meet Bella?" I ask myself in response to Carlisle's questioning. "I would have to say it all started back in Chemistry class…"

"Hello class, I am Mr. Glover, and I will be your Chemistry teacher this year. Let me take attendance and then we will get started. Sasha Newton?"

"Here"  
"Ted Avery…" I drowned out the stupid teacher's role call. _Damn it, why did this stupid school not take my transfer credits? I already know all this crap! I can't believe that this Podunk town called Forks is really better than Embry Riddle in Aerospace._

"Jeffery Heinkel?"

"Here," I replied, "and I prefer to go by just Jeff if it's all the same."

"Very well." The stupid teacher makes a stupid mark in his stupid book. If you haven't realized I am in a bad mood you haven't been paying much attention. I drown out the teacher until he calls out "Bella Cullen?"

"Here" came a voice that sounded like a thousand harps playing perfectly in harmony. I look over, and gawk at the sight. There sat a goddess "amid the sea of ugly" as my old aerospace teacher would say. Her skin was white as a piece of paper _then again, this place is perpetually shrouded in darkness_, and her hair was raven black. Her eyes were liquid gold. "Alice Cullen?"

"Here" came a voice sounding like the tinkling of bells. I look next to Bella, and there sits another goddess. Her sister I infer from the resemblance and the same last name. I noticed with interest that she also has liquid gold eyes. I am sitting two rows in front of them, and they are both sitting in the back corner, as if to avoid everyone else. I notice with some humor that everyone else seems to be subconsciously leaning away from them. I, in contrast, find myself fascinated with them. The girl on the left, what was her name? Alice? Leans over towards Bella and seems to whisper something. It looks like she said something embarrassing because Bella tries to hide herself behind her text book (which, by the way, happens to weigh a ton).

"Hmm… I'll have to remember to ask Alice just what she said to Bella."

"So, where was I? Oh yes. At the end of the class…"

When the bell rings, I walk over to where Bella is still picking up her things. Somehow I don't notice the absence of Alice.

"Hey," I said, "my names Jeff." I hold out a hand. As my cursed luck with women would have it, my hand just hangs there, un-met.

"Hi, I'm Bella. I hope we can have a good year together." She says in her harp-like voice, and flashes me a dazzling smile. I am stunned for a second, and in that second she is past me and halfway across the room. By the time I shake my head and lower by arm, she is already out the door.


	3. The Lab

Ch 2: The Lab

"Not much happened until the fourth day when we had our first lab…"

"Ok class; get into lab groups of three." By the time I had gathered the things I would take with me to my group, I was alone. Everyone else was already in lab groups. No, I take it back; Alice and Bella weren't in a group yet; so I heave a sigh and drag myself over to where they are. It's not that I wouldn't be eager to work with two glorious goddesses, but my heart has been broken by enough girls to know when rejections are most likely coming. Already I could feel the hope, even as I tried to beat it back. I steeled myself for the pain, which I was well used to by now. I arrive and they both look up. I take in a breath when Bella says, "Would you like to work with us Jeff?" Whatever it was I was expecting from them, it certainly wasn't this. I stand there in shock, and the look on my face probably showed it, because Bella giggled. It sounded like a bunch of crystal necked glasses being played combined with a little bit of heaven. Through will power alone I manage to drop my folder, book, and pencil onto the table and sit down on one of the stools. Bella and Alice launch into the lab with gusto, and I shake my head to clear it and join them.

"Bella, could you pass me the next slide?"

"Sure." Our hands accidentally touch, and I shiver. "Jeeze Bella your hands are freezing." I mutter as I insert the slide into the microscope. "Prophase." I announce, and Bella slides over so that she can see. I take advantage of her distraction and look around. Everyone else is nowhere near our level of progress. Just then I feel something icy blow onto my neck. "Gah." I jump and spin around. The AC had hit me. Damnit, why does this school make the AC cold enough to turn water into ice? No wonder Bella's hand was freezing.

"You ok Jeff?" inquired Alice.

"Yeah, its just… I'm a transfer from Florida and I'm not used to these damn arctic AC units. Aren't you cold?"

"Not really." She replies with a shrug.

"Just my luck." I mumbled to myself sarcastically. "Hey Bella."

"Hmm…." She looked up from putting the microscope away.

"What English teacher do you have?"

"Mr. Killinger, why?"

"Well, English has never been my strong point and-" I am cut off by the bell.

"Meet me in the library after school ok?" She flashed me another dazzling smile and by the time I recovered she and her sister were gone.


	4. Study Session

Ch 3: Study Session.

Disclaimer: I will now attempt to whistle Dixie underwater, and all the time I am whistling, I will have partial ownership of the characters in my story. Whistles first few notes Runs out of breath Instinctively inhales Chokes on water Ends up in hospital thinking about how totally NOT WORTH IT owning Twilight characters is Declares that he will never own them

"Now that I think back on it that was probably when I started becoming infatuated with Bella. Then again, it seems that said affliction is common here. Silly me, it wasn't until later when I found out that she was taken. "

"I can't thank you enough Bella, Mr. Crampfort is brutal." I smile at her, falling into this easy going chat that seems to come naturally around her. I smile; although I am positive it is not nearly as stunning to her as hers is to me.

"Not at all, it wasn't really that difficult." She downplayed her small miracle of making English understandable.

"Hmm… What's that?" I mumble, hearing something coming. I turn my head to the left and look at the front gate. She leans into my line of sight.

"Hey Jeff, what is it?"

"Oh, it must be nothing," I say, as I turn back to look at her, "I just thought I had heard a car coming or something." I could have sworn I was something flash behind her eyes, but it was gone as fast as it came. _Nah, I'm just being paranoid._

"Really? You must have really good hearing."

"It's my big ears." I joke, pulling on the tops of them and making a silly face. Bella burst out into laughter, and this time it was flutes instead of harps.

"If you keep pulling on them like that then they really will get big," she managed after she stopped laughing.

"Anyway, on a more serious note, I wanted to offer you a ride home."

"I couldn't."

"Are you kidding, if my old man were here _if he were still alive_ and he found out I hadn't given you a ride home, he would chew me out."

"No really, I couldn't. My ride is just arriving." She turns and looks toward the main gate, and I follow her gaze, seeing a silver Volvo pull into the parking lot.

"Edward!" she called out, flagging him down. The shiny silver Volvo pulls into the parking spot in front of where we are standing, and Bella runs forward to meet him. For the first time I notice the shiny diamond ring on her hand. _Damnit, she's taken!_ yells my subconscious. I place her onto the "unavailable" list in the far recesses of my mind. She flashes me another of her ridiculously effective dazzling smiles.

"Thanks anyway for the offer Jeff." She waves, and I numbly wave back. By the time I come to my senses, they are far gone. I sigh, and slowly trudge over to my 95 Jeep.

A/N:Here's a pic of what my Jeep looks like, only it is shorter.  
/jeep-for-sale/images/bigredracer072.jpg  
I have decided, in light of my abandonment of The Three Weapon Masters, to upload all theway up to CH 8 so enjoy, and please review


	5. The Shortage

Ch 4: The Shortage

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from the Twilight series, but I do own Jeff, so ask before you use him.

"Last week I was in a bit of a fix. My medication had run out, and I was still waiting for the prescription to be filled. I remember the phone conversation I had with them…"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO WAIT!" I screamed at the customer associate at the other end of the line. In truth, it probably wasn't fair that I was taking my problem out on her, but my medication kept my hands from shaking, which they seemed to like to do at the most inconvenient times. I eventually hung up because I had to get to school. I grabbed the keys out of the bowl by the door, and stopped. I held out my right hand, palm down, as still as I could. I really put all my effort into trying to keep it from wobbling, but it seems the more I tried to focus on keeping it still, the more I kept shaking. I curled my hand into a fist, and rushed out the door. I didn't like it one bit, especially when my hands started wobbling a little bit when I was driving to school. They didn't wobble a lot, and, seeing as I had just taken my last pill yesterday, I was **probably** ok for regular activities. That is, if you don't include carrying mostly full containers normal activities, or pouring, or doing precise adjustments… Ok, so I might have some problems, but what could possibly go wrong.

"Ok, so maybe I kinda jinxed myself there, but I had honestly forgotten we had a lab that day."

"Alright settle down and split into your lab groups. Today, we will be observing how sulfuric acid reacts with carbon based substances. At your desks are your lab sheets explaining the procedure."

Bella and Alice were already over acquiring the necessary materials, so I took this opportunity to look over the lab. It seemed pretty straight forward. Fill the beaker with five spoons of sugar, add 100 ml of sulfuric acid, and use the provided tongue depressor to "Keep your results straight". _Whatever the hell that means._ I had just finished putting my name on the lab sheet when Bella and Alice returned with the materials.

"So Jeff, do you wanna measure out the ingredients?" Asked Bella brightly.

"Umm… no thanks, I'm kinda," I faked a yawn, "tired from staying up so late last night."

"Oh well, your loss." Now there is one thing I will say about science; it has always fascinated me. It didn't disappoint me either when Alice added the ingredients and a tower of what looked like moist charcoal started to form.(1) Alice, who had been in charge of "keeping our results straight" (a.k.a. making sure the tower didn't fall over), suddenly spaced out, and the tower started leaning over. "Alice, what the hell are you doing!" I hissed as I raced around the table. I managed to pull the stick away from her iron grip, but the tower had already fallen over.

"I'll go get more," I mumbled irritably. As I was walking away I heard a hushed whisper, years of being bullied had trained my ears to be sharp, "Alice, what did you see?" At least, that's what I thought I had heard, but when I turned around, sugar and H2SO4 in the other, Alice was sitting there, looking embarrassed and Bella was glaring at her, like I more than likely was.

"Sorry about the space Jeff." Apologized Alice, giving me a more than adequate dazzling smile, which somehow managed to appear apologetic. I sort of went into a daze, so I wasn't watching where I was going when I bumped into the table, causing the graduated cylinder full of sulfuric acid (which was why I was focusing on Alice and not my hands or the floor, which would have made me look past my hands)(2) to lurch out of my grip and splash onto Bella's lap.

_SHIT!_ "Oh my god Bella are you ok?" I rushed around the table, talking as I went. "I'm so sorry. Quickly, we need to get you under the emergency shower!"

"Jeff, I'm fine."

"FINE! How can you be fine, sulfuric acid can melt your skin.(3)" I was starting to panic, I knew first hand just how dangerous sulfuric acid was since I used to take care of our pool back in Florida.

"It didn't get me."

"Bull! Get up now, or so help me I will drag you over there!(4)"

By now, most of the groups were either looking at us in shock or whispering to each other. Bella gave me a look that said _I'm only doing this because it's easier this way_, and let me drag her over to the shower, where I insisted she stand for at least ten extra seconds. When she pulled away, I pounced on her and forced her to sit down.

"Alice, quick I need a…" I turn around to see Alice holding out a roll of gauze wrap from the first aid kit, "oh… I see thanks." _I guess that's what comes of having a doctor for a father._ I wrapped it around her leg and secured it. I grabbed her arm and pulled her up.

"I think you should take her to the nurses office." Stated Alice, while Bella gave her a glare so cold you could probably keep produce fresh with it.

"Great idea Alice." I stated as I dragged Bella, against her will, out the door.

A/N: I hope I did my Chemistry teacher proud.

(1)- this actually works. Try it, it's pretty cool.

(2)- For those of you who don't understand this bit, I shall explain. There was a study done that showed that if you look at your hands while you are walking with a full container, you are at least 50 more likely to spill it.

(3)- Yeah, riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight! Like that would ever happen.

(4)- Not like I could if she didn't want me to.


	6. The Hike

CH5: The Hike

A/N: Ok, things are gonna start building in this chapter, and the light at the end of the flashback tunnel is starting to become visible. I guarantee there s going to be some plot advancement and not just more setup.

Discaimer: I don't own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, or Breaking Dawn, and I have no money, so please don't sue me.

"Over the next few weeks, Bella and I became close friends. We even developed a routine. We would meet after school at the library and Bella would work her miracles, then, at precisely five minutes to three (I timed it, isn't that pathetic?), Bella would sit up and gather her things. We would make our way to the main entrance parking lot, and chat for a few minutes. Edward would show up, and give me a strange look every time. At first I figured he thought I was trying to flirt with Bella, but I kept the relationship we had strictly on a friend level. Hell, I wouldn't even know what to do if I had wanted to take our relationship to the next level. The closest I have ever been with a girl is probably what I was with Bella…" I babbled on, probably trying to cover up how hard this part was on me. It was like putting a starving man in a room full of brussel sprouts and between him and desirable food is a thick glass wall. You know you will never break the glass, and you can probably eat the brussel sprouts, but you will never be happy. In addition, every time you go back for another serving, you get less and less content with the way things are.

"I probably would have lost my mind if we hadn't gone on this damn hike."

"Bella, are you sure you know were we are going?" I questioned her for about the fiftieth, which she tolerantly replied to, for the fiftieth time, with a curt, "Don't you trust me?" I know I shouldn't keep asking, but it was all the damn medicine company's fault. Now I had my tremor medicine, but I ran out of my Stratera (1) (not that I would ever tell anyone, especially Bella). It seemed that I was always calmer around her, even when I was on my meds, especially when I was near her brother Jasper. _Maybe it's because she is so nice_, but a little voice in the back of my head, which often hits the nail on the head, insisted it was for another reason, one which I forbade myself from even approaching(2). I struggled to keep up with Bella's extremely long stride, hoping we would be at our campsite soon, so I could get out of these bloody boots. That annoyingly accurate inner voice sneared about ulterior motives and showing off, but I had long since learned to filter out its sarcastic comments.

My internal dialogue was interrupted by that lovely harp-like voice, "Hey Jeff, shift it into second gear would ya." I blunder after her, only to hear the sound of heavy footfalls far too late.

(1)- Stratera is a newish (early 2000s) drug that helps to inhibit chemical imbalances in the brain or something like that. It is commonly used to treat ADHD, which is what Jeff uses it for. As you may or may not know, ADHD has many symptoms, and I'm not going to come out and say what Jeff's are, but you will probably be able to pick them up, or at least the major ones, along the way.

(2)- God that would be painful.

A/N: yeah, well, the flashbacks are almost over, so we should be moving along soon. From this point, I will be switching between first person perspective and third person omnicient. If you don't like it, you don't have to read.

Legend Update:

#- switch perspective/ point of view ( default at beginning of chapter is first person Jeff, or will otherwise be specified)


	7. Pain

Ch 6: Pain

Disclaimer: see ch 5

"You know, I think about the most random things sometimes, or at least I used to. For example, that one time…"

_Wow, I wonder how much this hospital bill is gonna cost?_ Strange, the things that run through ones head when you are in pain. I wasn't worried about how much permanent damage had been done to my arm, or whether or not Bella would be safe. No, I was worrying about how much this was gonna cut into my bank account. I was actually trying to feel how much had been scraped outa my arm (had to be a large portion) to guess how much it would cost to fix me up. In all truth I didn't really feel a thing. Well… that's not exactly accurate either. I didn't feel anything until I hit the tree. Then the pain set in. My back wraps around the tree trunk, further than backs are supposed to, and when I land I can't feel my legs; or anything below my waist for that matter. _Great, now how am I gonna punch the clown?_ I chuckle to myself (my weird sense of humor) and try to at least crawl in front of Bella. Maybe if I distract it long enough Bella can get away. Some small part of me that is always cynical scoffed at that. I start to drag myself over and a ham sized paw slams into my temple, knocking me away. I go into tunnel vision for a few seconds, and then everything clears up. I'm still disoriented and my ears are ringing. _Just perfect, now I've got tinnitus (1) too._ I hear the snarl of a wild animal, but I can't really focus my eyes enough to figure out where it's coming from. Right about that time, as my eyes rolled back into my head and I slump against the tree, I thought _Bears don't snarl?!_

(1)- Tinnitus is basically a ringing in the ears that never really goes away. My mom actually has it, and she sometimes has to ask us to repeat things. Anyway, it was a bad joke, which is just Jeff's way of dealing with the fact that he is more than likely going to die.


	8. The Question

Ch 7: The question

A/N: Ok, now for the aftermath.

Disclaimer: see Ch 5

_What the hell? Where am I?_ I look around. The area I am standing or floating, since I'm not being moved by it) is undulating and wriggling. It looks like a black and grey swirl, almost like a cloud, only it isn't gaseous, it's more like a solid living organism the way it us wiggling around. It almost reminds me of a room inside Jabu Jabu's Belly back on my N64 emulator (1). A strange voice is calling out to me. "Jeeeeffff" "Jeeeffff" It sounded like someone calling down a ridiculously long hallway. Why does this voice sound familiar? I can't seem to remember it. _Why am I here anyway, the last thing I remember… oh, that's right, I got mauled by a bear. I wonder if this is the afterlife._ I added on as (literally) an after thought. Well it wasn't exactly what they had said it would be at Synagogue, but it wasn't that unpleasant. At least I wasn't in any mind crushing pain anymore. "Dammnittt Jeefff, don't go inntoo shoock onnn mee!" _Me? Who was going into shock? I'm dead. But at least I am free from all that pain. _

#Bella#

"Jeff!" "Jeff!" I scream as soon as I finish off the bear. Really, with this much strength it is child's play to knock aside its swipes and drain it of blood. Normally I would feel remorse for killing an animal that is more than likely just protecting its home or its territory, but Jeff was a precious friend.I toss the corpse into the trees as I hastily scan the area for the first aid kit Jeff says he always takes with him on hikes "just in case someone else gets hurt", while part of my enormous mind still has time to assess Jeff's wounds. He more than likely wouldn't live if he didn't get help soon. I spot the oversized kit and rush over to him. I recognize the signs they taught us in our first aid elective class almost immediately. "Damnit Jeff, don't go into shock on me." Judging by the cracks I heard when he hit the tree coupled with his attempts to drag himself over, he probably had a broken spine near the waist. All of this went through my mind in the time it took me to gather the supplies I would need and start on Jeff's arm. _Please Jeff, stay under just a bit longer, if not for my sake then for yours._

#Jeff#

Suddenly I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my left arm. That pain seemed to shatter my peaceful afterlife and drag me back to the living. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" All I felt was the pain in my left arm. Even as my eyes focused on Bella holding the wound on my arm shut with one hand and doing her best to sew it shut with the other. Even as I looked past her and saw the split skin and splint on my left leg. The pain seemed to dominate my mind, canceling out everything else, even as the pained look on Bella's face registered. Through a surge of brute will power I lift my head and manage to mumble out, "Thank god that's over." when she finishes. I use my good right arm to push myself up out of my slump so that I am leaning against the tree. I take one look at Bella and it's obvious. "That bad huh?" I manage to choke out.

"Of course not, you're gonna be fine." Bella gives me one of her dazzling smiles, which manages to break through the haze of pain long enough for me to gasp out between strangled breaths, "Don't shit me Bella. I know more about first aid than most doctors! wheeze My left leg is a mess, and it looks like it was a compound fracture. wheeze You obviously splinted it, and that should have, and should still, hurt like hell. wheeze I also can't feel the roots which ought to be digging into my legs. The only explanation coupled with the way I hit the tree earlier is that I have a broken spine, and not a simple break at that.wheeze I can't even wiggle my toes, so the break more than likely severed all the nerves. wheeze Couple that with the blood loss from both my leg and my arm,wheeze and I'm probably going to die." I slumped back against the tree. I don't get to relax for long as my body jerks forward and I cough up blood.

#Bella#

"…I'm probably going to die." states Jeff as he leans back against the tree. Just as he leans his head against the trunk his whole body violently jerks forward and he coughs up blood. The back of my throat burns, but I ignore it as I assess the damage. After all, if the first scent of his blood when I was sewing up his arm didn't get me, another log on the fire that burns the back of my throat wasn't going to make much difference. More than likely a broken rib I hadn't noticed has pierced an internal organ, likely a lung, limiting his life further. There really was only one chance at this point if I wanted him to live.

"Jeff, I have to ask you something."

A/N: Muhahaha, bow down to my evil cliffhangers of doom.


	9. That Burning Sensation

Ch 8: That Burning Sensation

A/N: Ok, finally, the long awaited transformation.

Disclaimer: See Ch 5

"Do you want to live?"

"What the hell kinda question is that? Of course I wanna live."

"How badly do you want to live?"

"hm…." I thought about all my plans for the future, the things I wanted to accomplish, not to mention the things I hadn't done yet. Hell, I hadn't even been out of the country yet. "Pretty bad."

"Even if it caused you extreme pain? Even if you might never be the same again?" At this I straightened up out of my slump. I made sure that I was looking Bella in the eye (well, more like staring on account of her hypnotic eyes), seeing unimaginable pain flowing just beneath the surface. Normal people wouldn't notice it, but I had looked into the mirror after a bullying session far too many times not to recognize it, well hidden as it was. _What was that saying? The eyes are the portals to the soul._ When I was done with my assessment, I maintained eye contact and I asked, "Bella, what are you getting at?"

#Bella#

Jeff stared into my eyes like he was trying to gaze into my soul, and to tell the truth, it was kinda creepy.

"Bella, what are you getting at?"

"Jeff, I know a way to save you, but it will be extremely painful, so much so that you may wish you hadn't been saved. I won't force it upon you, the choice is yours."

"God damnit Bella stop beating around the bush and save me before I really do die." I gaze into Jeff's eyes. _Is that really what you want Jeff? Do you really want to live that badly?_ I find no hesitation in Jeff's posture, even as he passes out from pain. I slowly lean down, ignoring the urgent ringing from my cell phone, the ringtone of the house, and slowly bite into Jeff's neck. I try to keep as much of the blood inside his body while injecting in my venom. I lick the wound to close it, repeating the procedure on the other side, and pull away afterwards. It's as much as I can do at this point to hold my breath and not drain him of his blood. I dash away from him until I'm a good 5 meters upwind. I breathe a few times to clear my nose and release a sigh of relief and flip open my annoying cell phone.

"Bella! Thank god! What on earth is going on there?" Came the frantic voice of Alice over the phone, "I suddenly had a vision of you biting a mangled Jeff. Is everything alright? Please tell me you didn't give in to temptation." Alice's voice was truly begging at this point. "You do realize what will happen if you did bite him. The treaty hasn't changed that much that you can just bite anyone at will!" She ended in a shout.

"Alice, he was dying, what did you want me to do?"

"That doesn't give you the excuse to bi-"Whatever Alice was about to say was drowned out by a scream of pain from Jeff.

"Alice, I'll have to call you back." I stuffed my cell phone in my pocket and rushed over to where Jeff was.

#Jeff#

I was burning. It felt like there was liquid fire… no, lava, flowing through my veins. I don't really remember how it started; all I do remember is that one minute Bella was doing something weird to my neck, and the next I was burning. It spread from my neck down to my chest, and them out to my limbs. As I lay there writhing on the ground, I cried out in pain. _OH God make it stop!_ I was screaming it in my head and somehow (I found out later) I was screaming it out loud. An errant thought broke through the pain. _I wonder if this is what it's like to get a third degree burn._ Unfortunately, this burn was worse. Normally a third degree burn hurts when you get it and then you can't feel it because the nerves are charred. This one was like getting it over and over and over again. As the burn moved up from third to forth, and then later to fifth, I continued to cry out in my head (and accidentally out loud) at lulls when I could think through the pain. _Oh God just kill me! Please, make it stop! If there really is a God in heaven end it now!_ The screams kept coming, eventually drifting into French and then into Hebrew as the magma in my veins slowly turned my body into what had to be a pile of ashes. I felt something cold against my hand but it lost all meaning in the raging inferno.

At some point in time I realized that I had passed my pain threshold long ago and probably should have passed out, and then I realized that I had been, to an effect. I didn't lose consciousness so much as sort of drift. My mind would blank for a period and then I would start thinking again. Three drifts later, the burning in my toes and fingers lessened (by a few degrees). By the time that my hands and feet were free, I had already drifted ten times. What really got me was, as I lost heat in my extremities, I gained heat at my heart. Fourteen drifts later, my forearms and shins were freed, and my heart got so hot I swear it must have been glowing red. Twenty-five drifts later, everything from my waist up and my shoulders down was free, and I had long since quit trying to figure out how many degrees of a burn I was getting inside my body, losing count around thirty. I realized around this time that it was getting easier to think, and my hearing was improving. I could literally hear the individual valves opening and closing in my heart.

After about nineteen more drifts, my torso was freed from the burn, but my heart was not. It felt like my heart must be glowing white hot, and surely it must be irradiating the area. One could probably prepare a three course meal on my chest and still have enough heat left over for a habachi dinner. My heart beat sped up, sounding like a jack hammer, and the heat intensified. Several drifts later my heart sped up again, this time it was like machine gun fire. Up until this point I had almost been adjusted to the heat, but this was something else. My heart sped up again, this time so fast it sounded like the beats were tripping over each other. The heat became so intense it felt like a mini sun was in my chest, and my back arched at the heat peaked, and then my heart shuddered, giving a few slow beats, like someone chopping at wood, and then, with a noise that sounded (at least to me) like a firing cannon, my heart thumped for the last time, and stopped.

All was quiet.

A/N: Well, let me know how I did. The transformation was tricky, so all comments would be appreciated.

Omake

"Jeff, I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"What is the ultimate answer, to life, the universe, and everything?"

"I know it, but you probably won't like it."

"Just tell me."

"42."


	10. The Family

Ch 9: The Family

A/N: Ok, we are now finishing up the last of the past sequences, so we can now get on with the actual main plot. Haha gotcha! You thought that this was it? Yeah right! This is gonna have at least two story arcs, if not three.

Disclaimer: I own none of the novels that this story is based off of, but man wouldn't it be awesome if I did?

#Bella#

I just sat there, doing my best to comfort him, knowing full well how little it actually meant(the memory of my own trail by fire sharp as ever).

"OH God make it stop!" Jeff cried out. He kept on yelling, each yell causing me to wince, and a lancet of pain shot through my heart. Eventually he degenerating into French, and later Hebrew.

_I knew Jeff was Jewish but I never guessed he would know Hebrew considering how hard he has it learning just English._

I continued to hold his hand as he degenerated into random syllables and mumbles. I heard Alice and several other sets of foot steps quickly approaching.

"Bella, what is going on?" Alice , being the first one to reach me, barely got the question out of her mouth before the scene sunk in. "Bella, what have you done!?"

I looked down, ashamedly, and I could feel the glares of everyone else upon me, I heard their hushed whispers, and I felt the crushing weight of what I had just done.

"I… I… I saved him," I mumbled. I looked up from my position on the ground, still unconsciously holding Jeff's hand. I had resolved myself to accept whatever punishment was necessary. As I slowly turned my head, scanning my family, I felt my resolve waiver. From concerned Esme, to a neutral Carlisle, to Edward's concerned yet resigned expression, seemingly already accepting what had happened as if it were something he would rather not deal with, instead of a giant breach of the treaty. Next was the blank face of Jasper, which was almost as bad as if he was raging at me. Rosalie had her usual "I don't really care look" which was probably a façade to hide whatever she was really feeling. Emmett was grinning from ear to ear, _probably anticipating a fight_. That lead me full circle to Alice, which, while Jasper had hurt, Alice burned. Alice, who was like a sister to me, looked so betrayed it would have brought tears to my eyes if I could still cry. As it was I just sank deeper into sadness, so far it was like lying at the bottom of a very deep lake, you can still see everything but it is too hard to act upon it. Carlisle and Edward were discussing the possible ramifications of this act, and what they could do about it. They had come thinking I had given in to temptation and had drunk his blood, prepared to console me. Instead, the found me holding Jeff through his transformation, having broken the treaty and not caring. We were all startled out of our individual worlds and we all watched silently as Jeff's heart gave its last few vain attempts to pump, and then stop. Silence pervaded the area. Tension was so thick you could feel its oppressive weight on you.

Then, there came a groan. "Damnit… what the hell happened?"

A/N: Aaaaaaaaand I'm cutting off there. Sorry about the suspense, but I'm just too tired to continue.


	11. Surprise!

CH 10: Surprise!

A/N: Konyanyonichua (meant to sound like Kero's greeting after every episode of the first season of CCS during "leave it to Kero") everyone, now we finally are going to stay in the present, with only the occasional flashback.

"Damnit," I groaned, that really was painful, "what the hell happened?"

"Jeff, Jeff can you hear me?"

That was odd, Bella's voice sounded different… hey, come to think of it, my voice had sounded different. It sounded like a deep ringing bell instead of my mildly pitched voice. Now that I was aware of it, I could hear lots of things. A squirrel scampering in the branches of a nearby tree, a deer in a near by clearing, his teeth grinding against the grass sounded like rubbing bricks of cement together. I could also smell, oh the things I could smell, like the soil, and the rain, and the sap from freshly fallen pine tree branch. There was also something else, extremely prevalent in the general vicinity, something ultra sweet, like cotton candy mixed with honey and strangely enough (ironically) charcoal. I absorbed all of this information in the time it took me to open my eyes. And then I saw. Not only did I see, I saw _everything_! I saw the clouds in the sky, and the birds flying overhead. I saw the individual veins on the leaves, and the texture of the bark on the tree I was laying against. However, the object that dominated my field of vision was…. Was that Bella? It was her ,no doubt about it, but at the same time, it was as if her face ( which I didn't think possible) had become even more beautiful. She turned away.

"Carlisle, he's not responding, come look at him."

A god-like figure strode into my field of vision. He had a kind look on his face, and as he leaned down to examine me, and Bella stood and strode out of my sight.

"Careful Carlisle, remember he's a newborn." Who is that? Damnit how many people are going to pop up on our hike. I sat up before Carlisle reached me, lifting my head and staring at the large group of people before me. I scanned for Bella, needing a familiar sensation before I became completely weirded out.

No dice. Instead of just Bella, I found her standing next to a more handsome version of Edward, a large guy standing next to a blonde beauty, both of whom I believe I had seen sitting with Bella at lunch. What were their names? Em… something and….Rose? I gripped my head, trying to remember, my memories were super fuzzy, like my early childhood memories were, but now my memories even as recent as yesterday were hard to grasp. It took me a while, but I remembered, Emmett and Rosalie. There was a kind looking lady that exuded an aura of motherly caring. There was Alice-guess I should have seen that one coming- and I had no problem remembering her name. How could anyone forget someone so freaking cheerful. I swear she's a morning person. The last person I set my eyes on was really scary. He had… bite marks?!... all over his face and arms ( and more than likely the rest of his body as well). The instant I saw the marks I sprang up, crouching down to lower my center of gravity.

Every fiber of my being screamed that this man was dangerous, despite how relaxed Alice seemed to be with his arm around her shoulder. His eyes narrowed, and instantly I felt calmer, and the, a split second later, that Emmett guy had disappeared and some powerful arms were around me. Acting on the instinct beaten into me through self defense classes and year after year of being bullied, I rolled my shoulders together, crossed my arms, and rolled my hands palms up. I cupped my hands around his elbows, twisted my head to the side and tucked my chin into that little spot next to the shoulder and below the collar bone, and I pushed up with my hands. Having broken his hold, my right hand flashed up, grabbing his right wrist, followed by my left, and I stepped to the left and back, twisting my hands in the way that threw the opponent off balance, making them tumble onto their backs. This strategy made them do all the work, instead of trying to flip them over your shoulder with your own strength, which was ideal for someone as small as me. He landed on his back with an "oof" leaving a small crater, and rolled over onto his stomach so he could push himself up. In an instant I was on top of him, my knee on his back, and my right arm taking its favorite spot, around my opponent's neck, grabbing my right wrist with my left hand. Only then did I realize what I was doing. I moved out of the realm of instinct and into conscious thought. I immediately scrambled off, stuttering apologies, while Emmett picked himself up, gave me a dirty look, and stalked off to stand next to Rosalie. I was too busy apologizing profusely however, to notice the glare he gave me. I did, however, feel something ominous, and a shiver went down my spine.

"Someone must be walking on my grave."

For some reason I can't even fathom, Bella and Edward burst out laughing. (1)

"Ooooook… Anyway, there is no way in hell I could flip someone his," I gestured towards Emmett, "size… ok maybe I could, but I highly doubt I could leave a crater as well." I put my hands on my hips, "Just what the hell did you do to me?"

Bella just stayed on the ground laughing. I glared at her until she stood up and said, "Well, this is how it goes."

(1)- I'm sure you can guess why

A/N: Ok well, the only people reading this will be people who have already read the entire series, so I will not be typing up Bella's explanation, I will leave it up to your imagination.


End file.
